Fluid pressure motor



Nov. 4, i941. N. w. BUCKNER FLUID PRESSURE MOTOR Filed Jan. 24, 1940 4Sheets-Sheet l www Nov. 4, 1941. N. w. BUCKNER 2,261,752

FLUID PRESSURE MOTOR Filed Jan. 24, 1940 4 sheets-sheet 2 Nov. 4, 194i.vNqw. BucKNER- FLUID PRESSURE MOTOR 4 Shee'ts-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 24,1940 r, A l.

Nov. 4,1941. N. w. BUCKNER 2,261,752

FLUID PRESSURE MOTOR Filed Jan. 24, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 l ggxl; 'l1%:1 2

Patented Nov. 4, 1.1941

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLUID PRESSURE Mo'roR Nolan W. Buckner,Coalinga, Calif. Application January 24, 1940, Serial No. 315,422

I 4 claimtr (ci. 121-123) This invention relates to improvements inmotors adapted to. be actuated by iiuid under pressure.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved fluidpressure motor of the reciprocating piston type, especially suitable forpump actuation, but capable of general or other specific uses.

With the above object in view, the present invention consists in thenovel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fullydescribed, shown in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view, partly broken away, partly in centralvertical section, and partly in elevation, illustrating a deep well pumpprovided with a uid pressure motor embodying the present invention andoperatively arranged within the well casing.

2 Figure 2 is an enlarged central longitudinal sectional view of thefluid pressure motor shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view similar to. Figure 2 with the power piston of themotor at the end of its down stroke.`

Figure 4 is a transverse section online 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a similar view on line 5-5 of Figure 2. y Figure 6 is a viewsimilar toFigure 3 illustrating a modied form of fluid pressure motorembodying the present invention.

Figure 7 is a horizontal section on of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a section on line 8-8 of Figure 6.

Figure 9 is a vertical sectional view of a further form of motorembodying the present invention, installed above the surface foractuation of a well pump.

Figure 10 is a somewhat diagrammatic view, partly Ain elevation andpartly broken away and in section, illustrating use of the motor ofFigure 9 for operating a pump used to inject a chemical into an oilpressure line.

Figure 11 is an elevational view o'f a modied form of the motor shown inFigure 9, adapted for general use in driving machinery; and

Figure 12 is a fragmentary vertical section on line I2-I2 of Figure 11.

Referring in detail to Figures 1 to 5 inclusive of the drawings, 5indicates a casingl which extends downwardly from the surface of thewell to the oil strata. Mounted concentrically within the casing 5 istubing 6 which extends line 1-1 downwardly in the casing 5 to a pointnear the oil or water level in the bottom of the well. Secured to thelower end of tubing 6 is the upper end of a power cylinder 1 of the uuidpressure motor forming part of the present. invention. Additional tubing6a is attached to the lower end of power cylinder I and connected to theupper end of a pump cylinder 8, and arranged below the power cylinder Iis a packing assembly 9 which is packed outwardly against the innersurface of the casing 5 to close the Aoil passage, formed within thecasing 5 on the outside of the cylinders I and 8 and tubing 6 and6a,.above the packing 9. The pump cylinder 8 extends below the packing 9into the fluid to be elevated from within the well, and is provided atthe bottom with the usual stand valve Ill. The usual piston or plungerII is provided in the pump cylinder 8. The plunger or piston Il has anup- 0 wardly extending piston rod I2 which is connected at I3 with thelower end of a piston rod I4 extending downwardly from a power piston I5arranged vfor reciprocation in the power cylinder l.

As shown more clearly in Figures 2 and 3, the power cylinder I isprovided near its lower end with a wall I6 forming a guide for thepiston rod I4 and through which the latter slidably extends. 'I'he wallof power cylinder l is formed with passages II which have check valvesIIa at their upper ends and communicate at their lower ends with tubing6a below wall I6, and

' which communicate at their upper ends with tubing 6 above wall I8. Thepower cylinder I is also provided near the top with another similar wallI8 having perforations or openings I9 which permit passage of actuatingiluid and the fluid being pumped upwardly from the power cylinder 'Iinto the tubing 6 for discharge from the well. The power piston I5 isprovided below its head with a wall 20 to which the rod I4 is connectedand which is provided with perforations or openings. 2| equipped withflowcontrol nozzles 2Ia. The wall 20 is formed at the top with a centralrecess 22 adapted to form a protecting seat for a valve head 23 as willlater become apparent. The head of power piston I5 is also provided witha central opening 24 cooperating with the openings 2l in wall 20 toafford a passage through the piston. The underside of the head of powerpiston I5 is provided with a valve seat 25 for the valve head 23 insurrounding relation to the opening 24, and extending upwardly fromvalve head 23 is a stem 26 that freely extends through the centralopening 24 inthe head of piston I6 and slidably extends through acentral opening in the wall I8 of power cylinder 1. Adjustably threadedon the upper end of stem 26 is a strokeadjustment nut 21, and providedon the stem 26. below the wall I8 and above the valve head 23 is a valvetrip stop 28. A relatively short helical compression spring 29 isloosely arranged on the stem 26 above the valve trip stop 28 and beneaththe wall I8, while a similar spring 30 is arranged on said stem 26 abovethe wall I8 and below the stroke-adjustmentl nut 21. The

arrangement is such that the stem 26 has a l limited sliding movementthrough the springs 29 and 30 before the latter are respectively engagedby the stroke-adjustment nut 21 and valve trip stop 28, for a purposewhich will presently become apparent. Provided in the side of powercylinder 1 is an inlet opening 3| for actuating fluid, and suchactuating fluid is adapted to be suitably pumped under pressure from thesurface into the space between the well casing 5 and the tubing 6 and'power cylinder 1. For this purpose, the casing 5 may have a head 32 atits upper end provided with a suitable packing gland 33 through whichthe tubing 6 extends, said head 32 being provided with a side openingfor connection with a pipe 34 extending from a suitable source of fluidunder pressure. The skirt of power piston I5 is preferably of a lengthto have its lower end portion slide across the inlet opening 3| at theend of the downstroke of piston I5, and this lower portion of the skirtof power piston I5 has an opening 35 adapted to register with the inletopening 3| to permit entrance of actuating fluid into the power cylinder1 and within the piston I5 at the end of such down stroke. Also, thearrangement is such that when the power piston I5 reaches its downwardlimit of movement, the stroke-adjustment nut 21 has engaged spring 30and compressed the latter slightly so as to stop further downward travelof stem 26 and cause engagement of valve head 23 with its seat 25 in thehead of piston I5 as shown in Figure 3. On the other hand,

. near the end of the up-stroke of power piston I5, valve trip stop 28will have engaged and compressed spring 29 to prevent further upwardmovement of stem 26 and cause unseating of valve head 23 from its seat25.

In operation, the stroke-adjustment nut 21 strikes the bumper spring 30at the end of the down stroke of the piston I5, and the valve 23 in thepiston closes. The pressure of the actuating iiuid then forces the valve23 and piston I5 upwardly until the Valve trip 28 causes spring 29 tostrike the wall I8 of the cylinder 'I and stop upward travel of thevalve 23. The piston still continues to rise so that the valve 23 isunseated and then drops into the valve protecting seat.22. A freepassage is thus caused through the entire piston, and all moving partsthen travel downward with the actuating fluid passing upwardly throughthe piston until the stroke-adjustment nut 21 strikes the bumper spring30 again, closing the valve 23 for a repetition of the cycle ofoperation. Obviously, reciprocation of power piston I5 in this waycauses corresponding reciprocation of pump plunger or piston I I so asto cause the fluid in the well to be pumped upwardly through the tubing6a, passages I1 in the walls of power cylinder 1 and tubing 6 to thesurface, such well fluid passing through the tubing 6 with the actuatingfluid.

pressure motor, the inlet port 3| of power cylinder 1 is preferablyvalve-controlled so that it is closed when the power piston I6 reachesits limit of upward movement and while said power piston undergoes itsdown stroke. For this purpose, a valve band or ring 36 is frictionallyfitted in the cylinder 1 below the piston I6 so that it will remain inany position to which it is slid longitudinally of said cylinder 1unless forcibly moved. A suitable actuating element 31 is rigidlycarried by the piston rod I4 below the valv'e band 36, and

this actuating element is arranged to engage band 36 on the upstroke of.piston I5 and shift said V valve band upwardly to the position ofFigure 2 wherein said valve band 36 overlies and completely'closes theinlet port 3|. For most of the down stroke of piston I5, the valve band36 will remain in place to keep the inlet port 3| closed. the actuatingelement 31 lowering away from valve band 36 with piston rod I4. As thepiston I5 approaches its lower limit of movement, the skirt of saidpiston engages the valve band 36 and shifts the same downwardly so as touncover the port 3| as shown in Figure 3. The use of valve band 36 forcontrolling inlet port 3| is optional, and it serves to close the inletport 3| on the upstroke of the piston I5 and to keep it closed duringmost of the down stroke thereof. However, elimination of valve band 36and continuous ow of the actuating uid through the piston on the downstroke of the latter will not materially affect the operation if suchuid is freely vented through the piston at that time by openings 2I and24. The length of the stroke of piston I5 can be set by adjusting thestroke-adjustment nut 21, the length of the stroke being equal to thedistance between the stroke-adjustment nut 21 and the valve trip stop28. l

The modified form of the fluid pressure motor shown in Figures 6 and 7is identical in all general respects to that shown in Figures 1 to 5inclusive, .but said form of Figures 6 and '1 embodies a piston rod Idawhich is hollow and extends through and well above the piston |5a, thebore of rod 14a opening through one side of the latter below thecylinder 1 as at 38. This permits the pumped liquid or oil to pass fromthe tubing 6a into and through the rod I4a so` that it is dischargedinto the tubing 6 above the power cylinder la before mixing with theactuating fluid admitted to cylinder 1a for operation of power piston|5a. Accordingly, the walls of cylinder 'la need have no passages likethose at I1 in Figure 2, but the stem 26a and valve head 23a are hollowso that the rod |40, slidably extends therethrough.

Otherwise, the construction of Figures 6 and 7 is similar to that ofFigures 1 to 5 inclusive, and remaining like parts of both forms areindicated by similar reference characters.

When using the present fluid pressure motor for sub-surface power fordeep well pumps, all rods can be eliminated from the surface to thepoint where the power piston is located. It will be seen that I haveprovided a. very simple and compact construction which will be durableand efficient in operation, and minor changes in the exact details ofconstruction illustrated and described are contemplated within thespirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

In Figure 9, I have shown a further modified form of the present motorinstalled above the surface for actuation of a well pump 4I). The poweror motor cylinder 1b is' mounted upon a suitable support 4I disposeddirectly over the pump 40, and the piston rod I4 of the motor is coupledat its lower end to the upper end of the pump piston 42 as at 43. Inthis embodiment, the power cylinder 1b is provided with means 44 tofacilitate connection of a pressure fluid supply pipe 45 therewithdirectly in communication with the inlet port 3| of the motor. The upperend of the power cylinder 1b is closed by means of a hollow verticallyelongated cap 46 having a lateral outlet 41 for the motive uid connectedwith a discharge pipe 48. Also, in this embodiment, the valve stem 26hhas a fixed head 21a on the upper end thereof insteadr of being threadedand provided with an adjustable stroke-adjustment nut as in thepreviously described forms. In this embodiment, the stroke adjustment iseffected by means of a vertically adjustable screw 49 threaded throughthe top of the cap 46 and having its lower end arranged in the path ofthe stem 26h. Obviously, by vertically adjusting the screw 49, theupward travel of stem l26h can be properly limited so as to govern theparticular time in the upward movement of the piston i when the valve 23will be unseated. The head 21a engages and compresses the spring 30 inthe same way as this is accomplished by the nut 21 in the form ofFigures 1 and 2, to eiect seating of the valve 23 at the proper timewhen the pilston completes its downward stroke. In this way, a verygreat amount of stroke adjustment may be had, and a jamb nut 50 may beused to secure the screw 49 in adjusted position. A further protectingcap 5i may be threaded on the upper end of the cap46 to enclose andprotect the upper end of the adjusting screw 49. Otherwise, theconstruction of the motor is substantially the same as that shown inFigure 2 and remaining like parts are indicated by similar referencecharacters in Figures 2 and 9.

In Figure I have illustrated the motor of Figure 9 installed for use inoperating a pump employed to inject a chemical into an oil pressureline, as is practiced in the oil industry to break down the emulsionbefore the oil is suitable for refining purposes. In this installation,52 is the oil line conveying the oil under pressure in the directionindicated by the arrows a. Mounted over the line 52 on a support 53 isthe chemical injecting pump 54 having a supply line 55 for the chemicaland a discharge line 55a, through which the chemical is forced into theoil line 52 in the direction of the oil iiow, said discharge line 55apassing into the line 52 as illustrated. The present motor of the formshown in Figure 9 is illustrated as mounted upon the base 53 directlyabove the pump 54 Iby supporting means 56, the

y piston rod I4 of the motor being coupled to the piston rod 51 of thepump 54 as at 58. It will of course be understood that the motor, ininstallations of the kind illustrated in Figures 9 and 10, will notrequire either the passages I1 of the form shown in Figure 2 or thehollow rod Ma on the return or down-stroke The present motor is alsoadaptable for general use in driving machinery and the like, in whichcase the power cylinder 1b may be mounted upon a hollow base 6i as shownin Figures 11 and 12, the piston rod i4c of the motor being operativelyconnected with a driven shaft 62 horizontally arranged to extend throughthe base 6i and journaled in opposite sides of the latter.

The operative connection may be of any desired kind, although the formshown is preferable as vit readily permits adjustment of thepistonstroke of the motor as contemplated and by means of the adjustmentmeans illustrated in Figure 9. This operative connection consists inproviding the lower end of meshing with a gear 64 rotatably tted ondrive shaft 62 and provided with ratchet means whereby the gear 64 maycause turning of shaft 62 when said gear is turned in one direction andto permit-the gear 64 to idle or turn relative to shaft 62 when saidgear 64 is rotated in the opposite direction. Such ratchet means mayconsist of a ratchet wheel 65 keyed on shaft 62 and engaged by similarlyfacing spring-pressed pawls 66 pivoted on oneside of the gear 64. Inthis way, as the piston of the motor is reciprocated, intermittentrotation of gear 64 is caused in one direction so as to drive the shaft62, the gear 64 being idly turned backwardly or in the oppositedirection. In other words, upon the upward or power stroke of rod I 4c,the gear 64 will be turned and will cause rotation of shaft 62, while ofthe piston rod i4c, the gear 64 will be turned freely backwardlyrelative to the vshaft 62 Without interfering with the continuedrotation of said shaft 62 in the first-mentioned direction. In a driveof this kind it is desirable to provide the shaft 62 on one projectingend thereof with a y wheel 61, and power may be transmitted from themotor to any desired machinery or apparatus in any suitable way, such asbyla transmission belt passing around a pulley 68 keyed on the oppositeprojecting end of shaft 62. Otherwise, the construction of the motor inFigures 11 and 12 is identical with that of Figure 9, and remainingsimilar pants are indicated by like reference characters in both ofthese views.

What I claim as new is:

1. In a device of the class described, a fluid pressure motor includinga cylinder openat its upper end for the outlet of pressure fluid, apiston having a passage therethrough and operatively mounted insaid-cylinder, the cylinder having a pressure-fluid inlet below thepiston, means including a valve carried matically closing the passagetherethrough when said piston approaches its lower limit of move- A mentand for automatically opening said passage as in Figure 6. The pressureiiuid may consist of the oil under pressure in the line 52, the samebeing conducted from said line by means of a pipe 5S entering the line52 at one end and communicating with the inlet 3| of the pump the sameas pipe 45 in Figure 9. The discharge line 66, which is similar to thedischarge line 48 of Figure 9 extends into the oil line 52 down streamwith respect to the supply line or pipe 59. Thus. the oil under pressureand flowing through the oil line is used as the motor uid for the motorwhich operates the pump arranged to discharge or inject a chemical intothe oil in said oil line. as stated.

when said piston approaches its upward limit of movement, saidlast-named means including an apertured wall in said cylinder, a stemcarried by said valve and slidably projecting upwardly through saidwall, stop members carried by said stem in spaced relation to and aboveand below said wall, and relatively short springs arranged on said stemat opposite sides of said wall. v

2. In a device of the class described, a uid pressure motor including acylinder open at its upper end for the outlet of pressure fluid, a

'piston having a passage therethrough and operatively mounted in saidcylinder, the cylinder having a pressure-duid. inlet below the piston,means including a valve carried by the piston for automatically closingthe passage therethe rod I 4c with rack teeth |53` `by the piston forauto- 4 i through when said piston approaches its lower limit ofmovement and for automatically opening said passage when said pistonapproaches its upward limit of movement, said last-named means includingan apertured wall in said cylinder, a stem carried by said valve andslidably projecting upwardly through said wall, stop members carried bysaid stem in spaced relation to and above and below said wall, andrelatively short springs arranged on said stem at opposite sides of saidwall, said piston having an apertured wall below the head thereofprovided in its upper side with a valve protecting seat arranged toreceive said valve when unseated.

3. In'a device of the class described, a iiuid pressure motor includinga cylinder open at its upper end for the outlet of pressure fluid, apiston having a passage therethrough and operatively mounted in saidcylinder, the cylinder having a pressure-fluid inlet below the piston,and means including a valve carried by the piston for automaticallyclosing the passage therethrough when said piston approaches its lowerlimit of movement and for automatically opening said passage when saidpiston approaches its upward limit of movement, said piston having askirt provided at its lower portion with an opening'adapted to registerwith the pressure iiuid inlet of the cylinder when said piston reachesits lower limit of movemen 4. In a device of the class described, afluid pressure motor including a cylinder open at its upper end for theoutlet of pressure iiuid, a pis-. ton having a passage therethrough andoperatively mounted in said cylinder, the cylinder having a:pressure-fluid inlet below the piston, means including a valve carriedby the piston for automatically closing the passage therethrough whensaid piston approaches its lower limit of movement and for automaticallyopening said passage when said piston approaches its upward limit ofmovement, a valve band frictionally iltted in said cylinder below thepiston and arranged to open and close said pressure-fluid inlet, saidvalve band being movable to open position by said piston when the latterapproaches its lower limit of movement, a rod carried by and dependingfrom said piston, and an actuating element carried by and movable withsaid rod for moving said valve band to closed position when said pistonapproaches its upward limit of movement.

NOLAN W. BUCKNER.

